President David Granger has ordered ”immediate relief” for hundreds of Region Eight residents hit by heavy flooding that has submerged homes but up to press time it was unclear what actual aid has been provided by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).

The Amerindian Peoples’ Association (APA) in a Facebook post last evening called on persons to pray for the residents of several villages affected since Wednesday including Chenapau, Kaibarupai, Sand Hill and Waipa, all in the Potaro-Siparuni Region.

Stabroek News was able to contact Edward McGarrell, Toshao of Chenapau, a village located on the Potaro River, who explained that though the rains have stopped, the floodwater continues to rise.

According to the Toshao, the area experienced nonstop rainfall on Wednesday causing the river to overtop its banks, almost submerging several homes in the process.

Reports from the Toshao are that some 30 farms are now under water while a growing number of households are flooded. In addition to this, one house was completely swept away, taking with it all of the homeowner’s personal documents.

Meanwhile, pictures posted on McGarrell’s Facebook page captured several residents as they waded through what was in some instances waist high water, trying to save whatever household items they could.

And despite limited council resources, McGarrell said the village continues to assist as best as possible with the transportation and relocation of those affected.

Providing an update on the situation in the other villages, the APA in a statement issued last evening said that in the case of Waipa Village, the scale of damage is so immense that most of its 329 residents have been forced to take refuge in the village community centre.

“The entire village has been affected and residents are without food and water. A similar situation has been reported for Sand Hill, a satellite of Waipa, where its 110 residents have been forced to also take refuge in a single building as no home has been left unaffected. Residents are imploring.. the arrival of quick relief of food and drinking water,” the statement read.

As of Wednesday, there has been no contact with Kaibarupai, the APA said, adding that up to late afternoon, the village was fearful that their means of communication would be submerged and no further updates have since come through.

“Our contact in the region, via Paramakatoi Village, has been unable to communicate with Itabac but it is feared that they have also been affected as they are generally susceptible to flooding,” the statement added.

Emergency support

Meanwhile, the APA while continuing to gather information from the region, is making calls for emergency support in the form of food and other supplies for the benefit of those affected.

The Ministry of the Presidency in a statement last evening said that the Government, through the CDC, the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) are actively assessing the sudden flooding in Kaibarupai, Sand Hill and Waipa.

“…More than 30 persons, who were trained by the CDC in Disaster Risk Reduction are present in the region and have been called upon to render assistance while the CDC has contacted and asked the regional officials and members of the joint services to conduct an assessment in the affected areas,” the statement said.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon speaking on the issue during yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing said that he was in receipt of a preliminary report on the situation.

The report said that Kaibarupai, a village with a population of 100 persons is indeed flooded, with water levels reaching heights of 12-20 feet; as it relates to Waipa, floodwaters have since affected 95% of the village, with the water reaching heights between 5-15 feet with the same being reported for Sandhill village.

Requests for food and clothing have been made by the affected villages, the report added.

According to Harmon, the CDC has been activated along with the GDF and the Regional Democratic Council for Regions 8 and 9, to offer support where necessary.

In addition to this, a Skyvan was expected to leave Timehri just around midday yesterday destined for the affected areas and tasked with conducting a “proper assessment (on) what the true situation is.”

Stabroek News has since been informed that though the aircraft was seen circling Chenapau, residents are curious as to why it did not attempt to conduct a ground assessment as well. The Ministry of the Presidency statement last evening said that the plane was unable to land.

Harmon offered the assurance that the CDC has already started taking steps to get relief to the affected parties.

“A GDF patrol is in a village not very far away from this area and this patrol will be taking a look at what is happening there and to also render relief where possible,” he added.

The APA yesterday criticised the CDC for what it said was the “disrespectful manner,” in which their attempts to glean an update on the situation were treated by the relief body.

“The Amerindian Peoples Association has been trying to get an update from the Civil Defence Commission in pointing out the desperation of the communities in needing assistance. We are concerned that the response is extremely slow even as we recognise the need for an ‘assessment’ which the CDC says it first needs to conduct. At this point, an update we have is that about 10 houses have been washed away in Waipa and more than 20 under water; many farms are under water. Kaibarupai is hit harder with a landslide causing the Ireng River to sweep away their belongings. Their Health Centre is about 4 feet under water. Both villages say they are in need of urgent assistance!!!” the APA said in its post.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

Where is PNC boy D2 ? How come he is not demanding that the PNC assist his people ? Cat bit his tongue ?

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

Where is PNC boy D2 ? How come he is not demanding that the PNC assist his people ? Cat bit his tongue ?

End of story. SMH.

And I thought it was to help the people. As I said before eventually you find out exactly who people really are and what they really stand for regardless of how much they pretend.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

Where is PNC boy D2 ? How come he is not demanding that the PNC assist his people ? Cat bit his tongue ?

End of story. SMH.

And I thought it was to help the people. As I said before eventually you find out exactly who people really are and what they really stand for regardless of how much they pretend.

Keep your BS to yourself.

Check GNI's archives and see the records for your self. PNC is in government and has access to financial resources to assist.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

Where is PNC boy D2 ? How come he is not demanding that the PNC assist his people ? Cat bit his tongue ?

End of story. SMH.

And I thought it was to help the people. As I said before eventually you find out exactly who people really are and what they really stand for regardless of how much they pretend.

Keep your BS to yourself.

Check GNI's archives and see the records for your self. PNC is in government and has access to financial resources to assist.

Please don't try to rub PNC shyte on the PPP.

Exactly the response I expected. It's PPP vs PNC. The people are just pawns.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

bullshit, you folks blamed the ppp for the 100 year flood and denied natural disaster. Now all of a sudden you are expecting reconcilliation because your jackass Granger is in power.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

You are a relative newbie here. If you had been here years ago you would understand how these lying creatures much better. They had quite a ball during PPP time criticizing. Now the shoe is on the other foot, let them take their dhall.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

When the PPP was in power, it was the PPP's fault every time there was a flood problem. You should go and read those threads, you will see what I am talking about.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

You are a relative newbie here. If you had been here years ago you would understand how these lying creatures much better. They had quite a ball during PPP time criticizing. Now the shoe is on the other foot, let them take their dhall.

I am not questioning any of that. However, while you people are pointing fingers and blaming each other, who suffers?

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

When the PPP was in power, it was the PPP's fault every time there was a flood problem. You should go and read those threads, you will see what I am talking about.

I understand all that and when I was in Guyana in 2001 and I saw the state of the trenches especially the ones that used to be free flowing QC and the garbage strewn all over, I was furious. However, that's another issue. We're all supposed to be concerned about Guyana right? Why are we bickering over whose fault it is or was while people suffer? Help them first then go back to your pointing fingers and bellyaching.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

When the PPP was in power, it was the PPP's fault every time there was a flood problem. You should go and read those threads, you will see what I am talking about.

In fact, one time wan Chap Shit himself in front of Big Hospital and they wanted Jagdeo to have ben there to give the man a Posey. Another time, one of them was trying to eat with his kakahole and they said Jagdeo should have point to his mouth and let him know where to put the food. Dat Chap is now their GNI spokesman.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Cuz, you're wasting your time with these people.

When the PPP was in power, it was the PPP's fault every time there was a flood problem. You should go and read those threads, you will see what I am talking about.

You people do realize that in this particular case it's nature right? Anybody who blames either the PPP or PNC for this is a complete jackass. That area is part of the Amazon Basin if I am correct. Rapid and huge changes in water height are a fact of life. Nothing can be done to change that cycle except to help the PEOPLE now.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

yuji22, did you know that in the 2015 general elections the PPP lost a seat in Region 8 by only 1 vote? It simply means that PPP has strong support in that Region now suffering from a natural disaster. Do you want the PPP to turn its back against its Region 8 supporters in their moment of distress? I know what I was saying by suggesting bi-partisan cooperation to lick this problem.

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

bullshit, you folks blamed the ppp for the 100 year flood and denied natural disaster. Now all of a sudden you are expecting reconcilliation because your jackass Granger is in power.

Drugb, it's always a pleasure and privilege to exchange views with you. For the records Gilbakka was nowhere near GNI Political in 2005 when the big flood occurred. In any case, at that time I was giving the PPP moral support.

You people do realize that in this particular case it's nature right? Anybody who blames either the PPP or PNC for this is a complete jackass. That area is part of the Amazon Basin if I am correct. Rapid and huge changes in water height are a fact of life. Nothing can be done to change that cycle except to help the PEOPLE now.

Nonsense, pNC incompetency. They could have prevented this the same way that the PPP could have prevented the 100 year flood.

Drugb, it's always a pleasure and privilege to exchange views with you. For the records Gilbakka was nowhere near GNI Political in 2005 when the big flood occurred. In any case, at that time I was giving the PPP moral support.

Wha me guh tell yuh bai. Yuh guilty by association, you join the slop can crew and you are held responsible for their past indiscretions.

I know what I was saying by suggesting bi-partisan cooperation to lick this problem.

Gilly it looks like the graveyard calling yuh bai. Like yuh forget who in power, who got the majority in parliament and who got the decision over disbursement of funds. In fact if jackass Granger et al give up them 50% raises, them Amerindians who vote fuh them would get help fast fast.

I know what I was saying by suggesting bi-partisan cooperation to lick this problem.

Gilly it looks like the graveyard calling yuh bai. Like yuh forget who in power, who got the majority in parliament and who got the decision over disbursement of funds. In fact if jackass Granger et al give up them 50% raises, them Amerindians who vote fuh them would get help fast fast.

Dem AFC/PNC boys could care less about D2 and his Amerindian brothers.

If that had happened at Linden, it would have been an immediate PNC response with food, shelter, medical supplies, free electricity etc.

Attachments

This is a natural disaster above and beyond partisan politics. Water level reaching 20 feet high is no joke. Both government and opposition should combine their efforts to supply relief to the people affected.

Gil,

I beg to refresh your memory at GNI when AFC/PNC posters blamed PPP for major floods.

How come all of a sudden it is the responsibility of the PPP to help the PNC Jackasses ?

The PPP will do what the PPP has to do and let the AFC/PNC jackasses do what they have to do.

yuji22, did you know that in the 2015 general elections the PPP lost a seat in Region 8 by only 1 vote? It simply means that PPP has strong support in that Region now suffering from a natural disaster. Do you want the PPP to turn its back against its Region 8 supporters in their moment of distress? I know what I was saying by suggesting bi-partisan cooperation to lick this problem.

Those who support the PNC need to feel the heat before they understand the difference between the PPP and PNC.

As old people say, they have to pay to learn.

Reminder: The PNC is in office and control spending to assist Amerindians. The PNC prefer to give Linden BILLIONS in electricity subsidy instead of helping Amerindians.

Add Reply

About This Site

Welcome to the Original Guyanese Discussion Forums, first established in 1996. Here you can discuss, ask questions or generally debate anything related to politics, movies, music, health or just gyaff away your day/night here. A note of warning, the Political forum is not for the faint of heart. We do have some rules, so please adhere to them.

This Forum is owned by Guyana
News and Information and is jointly operated with guyanafriends.com
By registering on this site, you agree to the terms and conditions of our Privacy
Statement - Terms of Use.
This website takes no responsibility for statements posted by participants on
the Forum. The textual, graphic,
audio and audiovisual material on our sites is protected by copyright law.
You may not copy, distribute, or use these materials except as necessary for your
personal, non-commercial use.
Any trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Remove From Your Block List

Manage Follow Preferences

Block

When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.

Premium Membership Required

Access to this requires a premium membership.

GNI VIP Member

Welcome to the Original Guyanese Discussion Forums, first established in 1996. Here you can discuss, ask questions or generally debate anything related to politics, movies, music, health or just gyaff away your day/night here.

Please note while you do have free access to our Forums, the Political Forum will now be a Paid Membership Forum. What does this mean? To write in the Political Forum you must be a paying member. The fee is $25.00 US per year and is non refundable. Payment can be done through PayPal.Membership is not automatically renewed and you can cancel anytimeWe do have some rules, so please adhere to them.